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OCTOBER 21-22,  2022

A VICTORY FOR COMMON SENSE:  WHETHER WE ARE RELIGIOUS OR NOT, WE MUST RECOGNIZE THAT FREEDOM OF RELIGION IS OUR FIRST FREEDOM, FROM FOX: 

A California court ruled in favor of a Christian baker Friday following a years-long legal battle after she refused to bake a custom cake for a lesbian wedding in 2017, citing her religious beliefs.

"We applaud the court for this decision," Thomas More Society Special Counsel Charles LiMandri said in a statement. "The freedom to practice one’s religion is enshrined in the First Amendment, and the United States Supreme Court has long upheld the freedom of artistic expression."

Cathy Miller, a cake designer who owns the popular Tastries bakery in Bakersfield, California, won what her lawyers at the Thomas More Society called "a First Amendment victory" when Judge Eric Bradshaw of the Superior Court of California in Kern County ruled against California's Department of Fair Housing and Employment, which had brought the lawsuit against her.

Miller was subject to multiple lawsuits after she referred a lesbian couple to another baker when they requested a cake for their wedding. Because of her Christian belief that marriage is between one man and one woman, Miller declined to design a custom cake for their ceremony, believing it would be tantamount to a tacit affirmation.

In an interview with KERO in 2017, Miller said, "Here at Tastries, we love everyone. My husband and I are Christians, and we know that God created everyone, and He created everyone equal, so it's not that we don't like people of certain groups, there is just certain things that violate my conscience."

California's Department of Fair Housing and Employment subsequently filed legal action against Miller's business under the Unruh Civil Rights Act, an expansive 1959 state law aimed at protecting consumers from discrimination by businesses on the basis of race, ethnicity or religion.

Paul Jonna, Thomas More Society special counsel who also served as one of Miller's lawyers, noted in a statement that there was "a certain irony" in his client's case, given "that a law intended to protect individuals from religious discrimination was used to discriminate against Cathy for her religious beliefs."

Noting that Miller's beliefs regarding marriage are mainstream Christian teachings, Jonna alleged that attorneys for the state harassed his client.

COMMENT:  These are sad cases.  No one comes out happy.  But the Court decided correctly.  We have, as a nation, always tried to accommodate religious beliefs, and must continue to do so, as long as no one is actually hurt or placed in danger.  A victory for our Bill of Rights.

October 21-22, 2022       Permalink

HE PROBABLY STILL HAS THE GARAGE KEY:  BORIS JOHNSON, THAT IS.  FROM CNN: 

Boris Johnson flew back into London on Saturday morning, perhaps hoping his arrival at Gatwick Airport would mark the beginning of a triumphant return to 10 Downing Street.

Johnson, who was ousted as prime minister in July over a series of scandals, arrived in the UK from his Caribbean holiday intending to join the race to replace Liz Truss as premier, Britain’s PA Media news agency reported allies as saying.

Johnson told UK trade minister James Duddridge that he was “up for it,” PA reported. He indicated he will run in the leadership contest despite the fact that he is still under parliamentary investigation over allegations he lied to lawmakers.

Truss resigned on Thursday, just six weeks into her disastrous term that pitched Britain deep into political and economic turmoil. Her successor will be the fifth PM to lead the country since it voted for Brexit in 2016.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel on Saturday became one of the most high-profile supporters of Johnson in his quest to become PM. “Boris has the mandate to deliver our elected manifesto and a proven track record getting the big decisions right,” she said in a tweet.

Truss resigned on Thursday, just six weeks into her disastrous term that pitched Britain deep into political and economic turmoil. Her successor will be the fifth PM to lead the country since it voted for Brexit in 2016.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel on Saturday became on of the highest-profile supporters of Johnson in his quest to become PM. “Boris has the mandate to deliver our elected manifesto and a proven track record getting the big decisions right,” she said in a tweet.

But his possible return to the top job has split opinions within the Conservative Party, with many lawmakers horrified at the prospect of a second Johnson premiership.

Even his former deputy prime minister and foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, told the BBC, “We cannot go backwards,” and pointed out that Johnson faces a probe into the so-called partygate scandal involving illegal gatherings in Downing Street.

The former PM is expected to appear in the next few weeks before the Commons Privileges Committee, which is investigating whether he misled Parliament over the parties, which could potentially see him suspended or expelled as an MP.

COMMENT:  Reminds me of the adventures of a Mr. Trump.  Johnson would at least keep Britain pro-American.  But his Conservative party needs considerable repair before facing the voters again.  It is imperative that the Labour Party, never in love with America, is kept from power.

October 21-22, 2022       Permalink

THIS IS GOOD:  SOMETIMES, PEOPLE ACT DECENTLY.  FROM BREITBART: 

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the Court’s most strident liberals, praised her conservative colleague, Justice Clarence Thomas, in a lecture at Roosevelt University in Chicago on Thursday evening, noting his unique compassion for others.

Sotomayor was quoted by CNN national political writer Eric Bradner as saying:

"I have disagreed with [Thomas] more than with any other justice. Which means we don’t come together on many cases. And yet I can tell you that I spend time with him, understanding that he is one of the few justices who knows practically everybody in our building. He knows their name, he knows the things about their life, what their family is suffering. He’ll tell me, you know that person’s wife is sick right now, or that person’s child is having difficulty.

"There’s no other justice who does that. I try, but he does it better. He cares about people. Now, he cares on legal interests differently. And he sees those legal issues much differently than I do. I tell people, you know Clarence believes, just like him, because he grew up very, very poor, that everyone is capable of picking themselves up by their bootstraps. I understand that some people can’t reach their bootstraps. That’s a fundamental difference in how we view what the law can or should or does do for people. But I can appreciate him."

Thomas was noted for his friendship with the late liberal icon, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Some Democrats are trying to have him impeached over his wife’s alleged support for efforts to challenge the result of the 2020 presidential election, for which she has been interviewed by the January 6 Committee.

COMMENT:  It is nice to see common courtesy in Washington.  We need more of it.  Justice Thomas is known for his decency, and he has a civilizing effect on the people around him.  Justice Sotomayor shows him respect.  Other liberals, outside the Co

urt, do not, and I hope they live to regret it. 

October 21-22, 2022      Permalink

WILL THE VOTERS SAVE LOS ANGELES?  MAYBE.  IT'S CLOSE.  FROM ABC7:

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- With voting in the Los Angeles mayor's race set to end in less than three weeks, a new poll from the Southern California News Group of likely voters found Rick Caruso and Karen Bass are in a tight race: 39.8% to 36.8%, respectively, which is within the margin of error.

"We are neck and neck, so every vote counts," Caruso said on Wednesday while at a campaign event in Van Nuys.

Meanwhile, the Bass campaign told Eyewitness News: "The $80 million and counting Rick Caruso has spent attacking Congresswoman Bass has moved this race to a dead heat. In these final days, our job is to marshal resources to remind voters that this is a choice between an anti-choice republican billionaire who only looks out for his friends and a pro-choice democrat who's always on the people's side."

"Rick Caruso really held his fire over the summer and is now having a major media and street-level push, and Karen Bass is out in the community and pushing her issues," said Raphe Sonenshein, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State Los Angeles.

"But he is able to overwhelm her message to some degree. Bass has a very strong base among Democratic voters who are likely to vote and the real key for Caruso is can he break into that castle. That's where her campaign resides."

COMMENT:   Wouldn't it be grand to flip Los Angeles.  Karen Bass has a radical leftist history, and she swooned over Fidel Castro.  She won't do anything effective for the city because she follows the leftist line closely. 

If Caruso wins, what will the movie stars do?  Will they then actually leave, as they always threaten to do before an election?  Where does Barbra Streisand go? And Jane Fonda?   Will there be an Oscar for best performance as a political dissident?  I really can't wait.

October 21, 2022       Permalink

OCTOBER 19-20, 2022

AND INTRODUCIN':   Do you know Kari Lake?  Hmm, maybe a little bit.  She's the Republican candidate for governor of Arizona, and all we seem to hear about her is that she's controversial, a nut, and another example of a weak GOP choice.  But I wanted to find out for myself, and took some time this week to learn all I could about Kari Lake.  Others in this business are doing the same thing...because the new "word" on Kari is that she may be the hottest politician to come out of this year's elections.  She's all the buzz – a former newscaster who's smart, informed, attractive, poised, and willing to take on the press and spank it.  That doesn't mean you have to agree with her on everything, and you probably won't.  Rich Lowry has written an excellent portrait of her, and I think you should read it.  We may be seeing a lot of Kari in the next few years...if she wins on November 8th.  From Politico: 

Kari Lake is a dual frontrunner.

She is more likely than not to win her race for governor of Arizona, and then would have to be considered the favorite to become Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick should he win the Republican nomination again in 2024.

When Lake narrowly won the Republican gubernatorial nomination two months ago, it seemed the Arizona GOP had consigned itself to electoral oblivion. Lake is a “Stop the Steal” die-hard and political novice who, one assumed (certainly, I did), would suffer the fate of another Trump-endorsed true believer, the Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee, Doug Mastriano, who consistently trails his opponent by about 10 points.

To the contrary, Lake has been a surprise. At the same time, she’s a reminder of the oldest of conventional political adages — candidate quality matters.

You can peddle conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and sink beneath the waves if you are a state senator with no especially notable political skills; or you can peddle conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and achieve liftoff if you are an exceptionally poised former news anchor.

Of course, Mastriano is the former and Lake is the latter, and that’s one key to their different trajectories.

A Lake win is by no means a lock. She’s ahead of Democrat Katie Hobbs by just 1.6 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average. Still, given the general political environment and how it is tilting further toward the Republicans, she’s clearly in a strong position.

Win or lose, there’s no doubt that a major political talent has emerged. Lake is the latest in a line of female champions of a grass-roots conservative populism that runs from Phyllis Schlafly to Sarah Palin to Marjorie Taylor Greene, spanning the 1950s to today.

These are wildly divergent figures. Schlafly had a deep seriousness of purpose and was one of the most consequential leaders of postwar conservatism; MTG trolls the libs and hopes to finagle a seat on the House oversight committee should Republicans take back the majority.

Yet there are common threads in this line of “momma bear” populists down through the decades: a fervent opposition to the elite; a disdain for the Republican establishment; a hatred for the press; a dark or frankly conspiratorial view of the world; a fervent base of support from activists and ordinary voters immune to influence by critical outside voices; and a fearlessness and instinctive combativeness that made or makes these women even more hateful to their opponents and admirable to their supporters.

What’s new about Lake and MTG is that loyalty to Donald Trump and the insistence that the 2020 election was stolen are now the litmus tests for this grassroots populism. When Phyllis Schlafly got her start in the 1950s, the intensity of someone’s anti-communism was the measuring stick.

A single-minded devotion to 2020 election denialism is not the most natural calling card in a closely contested state like Arizona. This is why Lake seemed like such a poor choice for the GOP. Her other attributes, though, have made up for her poisonously outrageous views on the elections.

As a local news anchor in Phoenix for 20 years, she entered the race with built-in name recognition and a reservoir of credibility that have stood her in good stead. It’s a little as if Walter Cronkite, back when network anchors were still near the height of their powers, up and decided to jump in the Democratic primary against President Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Then, there’s the fact that Lake loves the microphone and camera, and they love her back. She has communication skills that an army of consultants could never impart to a candidate with less experience. Lake has basically had more than 20 years of media training, and it shows.

At a rally with Tulsi Gabbard this week that involved a sit-down conversation with the former Democratic congresswoman on stage, Lake could have been mistaken for the celebrity MC. She was fluid and in control. Not a word was out of place. She seamlessly interwove pleasant chitchat with her campaign message, which, with an emphasis on the border, education and water issues, hardly sounded radical.

COMMENT:  Read the rest, and try to see Lake on television.  Whether you like her or her positions, I think you'll agree that a star is being born.

October 19-20, 2022       Permalink

YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS UP:  Is Stacey Abrams trying to lose the Georgia governorship race, or does she really understand her base?  It is impossible to answer that question, but her latest venture into advanced political philosophy must be rewarded with some kind of prize.  From Hot Air:

Er … what?

Just how desperate are Democrats to sell abortion in this midterm cycle dominated by inflation and crime? Stacey Abrams demonstrates here in an exchange with Mike Barnicle this morning on Morning Joe. Barnicle points out that Democrats’ attempts to use abortion to distract from the issues that matter most to voters in the cycle have flopped.

Abrams responds by claiming that abortion is a solution to inflation. And I’m not kidding:

BARNICLE: You’re running for governor of Georgia. I would assume, maybe incorrectly, but while abortion is an issue-20, it nowhere reaches the level of interest of the voters in terms of the cost of gas, food, bread, milk, things like that. What can a governor — what could you do as governor to alleviate the concerns of Georgia voters about those livability, daily, hourly issues that they’re confronted with?

ABRAMS:  But let’s be clear. Having children is why you’re worried about your price for gas. It’s why you’re concerned about how much food costs. For women, this is not a reductive issue — you can’t divorce being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy from the economic realities of having a child. And so these are — it’s important for us to have both/and conversations. We don’t have the luxury of reducing it or separating it out.

Exactly how does an abortion lower inflation? I’m curious about this, as an amateur economist. It might lower demand on a micro level, but it doesn’t do anything on a macro level to buying power or prices. In the long run and at the scale practiced in the US, it might depress demand a bit, but it will also depress production at the same time if it has that kind of impact — which makes it a wash.

As for concern over prices and the erosion of buying power, Abrams is also wrong. Everyone’s worried about those rising costs and diminishing real wages, of course, whether they have children or not. However, younger families have more options for scaling up their buying power. Inflation hammers hardest on people with fixed incomes and savings — retirees and others similarly situated who are unlikely in the extreme to reproduce. What will an abortion do for them, economically speaking?

And on a moral plane, this is just disgusting. People who don’t want to get pregnant should adjust their procreative activities rationally for that outcome. Once they have reproduced, however, the child should not have to pay for the parents’ irresponsibility in lacking the will to prevent that unwanted outcome. As a human being, the child has a right to life that transcends its economic cost. Abrams takes the utilitarianism that drives abortion (as well as euthanasia) and makes it even more grotesque in her attempt to stay relevant.

This is nothing but desperation on the part of Abrams, whose main claim to fame was election denialism until November 2020 made it out of fashion. She’s a radical extremist who couldn’t get elected in a Democrat wave election in 2018, and this is a great example of why.

COMMENT:  Abrams is simply not a big-league player.  She's a local politician with a fan club, for some reason.  Republican Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia, who is running for re-election, is ahead of her in the polls, and appears likely to defeat her.

I've seen and heard blunders by candidates, but suggesting abortion as a weapon against inflation is one of the worst.

October 19, 2022       Permalink